Ulster County voters approve charter changes

KINGSTON, N.Y. -- Voters approved changes to the Ulster County Charter despite some confusion at the polls.

With 99 percent of the districts reporting, county residents overwhelming voted in favor of a local law that would, in some cases, significantly alter the framework under which the county government functions.

Despite the support for the proposition, there was some confusion and controversy about the proposal at the polling sites.

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County Republican Elections Commissioner Tom Turco said a "snafu" at the Board of Elections left polling places across the county without copies of the proposed local law, as required by law. Also, voters at some polling sites said they were not told to flip their ballots over in order to vote for the proposition, causing some voters to leave the polls without voting on the proposed local law.

The changes to the county charter are a combination of those recommended by the Ulster County Charter Revision Commission and the county Legislature. Some changes are merely ministerial; others radically change the way county government functions.

Changes to the charter outlining the powers and duties of the county Legislature include giving the full Legislature, rather than solely its chairman, the ability to hire a legislative clerk. The proposal also gives the Legislature the ability to hire special counsel and eliminates the words "part-time" from the section that authorizes the Legislature's minority party to hire an attorney.

If approved by the voters, the county executive would see his powers broadened in some areas, including the ability to appoint his line of successors by eliminating the requirement that the appointees be confirmed by the Legislature and by extending the time frame he has to appoint department heads.

The proposal, however, would change the county's Ethics Board from one whose members serve at the pleasure of the county executive to one whose appointees serve fixed terms.

The charter revision also would give the county's finance commissioner the responsibility of chief accounting officer (a position now held by the comptroller); the comptroller would remain the county's chief auditing officer.

Perhaps the most controversial changes to the charter deal with the legislative redistricting process.

In a compromise between what the Charter Revision Commission proposed and what county lawmakers wanted, the plan adopted by the Legislature establishes a process that relies on the state government to give county voters the ability to vote on a redistricting plan.

Under the proposal going to voters, an independent Redistricting Commission would develop the decennial redistricting plan, though voters could call for a referendum on the plan, but only if county lawmakers first seek -- and the state grants -- the county approval to put the plan on the ballot.